Major earthquake rocks East Russia

Most of East Russia was rocked by a powerful earthquake of magnitude 8.3 on Friday. According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at 5.44 pm local time. The recorded epicenter was 373 miles below the seabed in the Sea of Okhotsk, off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The tremors were felt in over 12 Russian regions. The capital, Moscow, also reported the impact of the tremors. Tsunami warnings were issued to the coastal islands – Sakhalin and Kurile. The warnings were later withdrawn. The initial quake was followed by a 6.2 aftershock. The Sakhalin region was the worst affected. Eastern Russia is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire – a region of very high seismic activity.